Even the biggest of digital transformations will remain a slave to past inefficiencies if the strategy is to simply digitise processes rather than become truly digital.
That's the message from Adrian Tucker, Chief Technology Officer, Public Sector/Retail, who spearheaded an 18 month technology transformation for the Department for Education (DfE).
He showed how the project changed the culture of mobility and ways of working across the department, and why going digital
is more about exposing value chains than making business processes faster.
"Digitising existing processes is not true transformation," he told conferees in his keynote address. "Digital is about solving problems."
His challenges in taking the DfE from trailing edge to digital edge included creating the belief and cultural change and avoiding reputational damage.
"Forget disruption, it's time for transformation," he added. ??"It's now about exposing organisational value chains and technology becoming an income stream. Every pound spent on IT and technology is one less being spent on schools and education."
Government Digital Service saves the Government £1.7bn through digital and technology transformation.